Which has more room to gain, NFEB or QCJA?

From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, NFEB can gain about 4.1% before its cap and QCJA about 2.8%, so NFEB has more room left this period.

Which resets first, NFEB or QCJA?

NFEB ends its outcome period on Jan 31, 2027 and QCJA on Jan 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.

Which is cheaper, NFEB or QCJA?

NFEB charges 0.79% a year and QCJA charges 0.90%, so NFEB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

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NFEB vs QCJA: which one stands where?

As of Oct 1, 2026 NFEB can fall 9.6% before its buffer engages and QCJA 8.4%, and QCJA resets 16 days sooner. Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF - Feb and FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - January.

9.6%

NFEB can fall this far before its buffer

8.4%

QCJA can fall this far before its buffer

4.1%

NFEB can still gain

2.8%

QCJA can still gain

NFEBAt its cap

NFEB: reference +19.0% since period start, fund +10.0%; buffer 0 to −15; cap +15.1%; At its cap.

QCJAAt its cap

QCJA: reference +19.1% since period start, fund +8.2%; buffer 0 to −20; cap +12.1%; At its cap.

ETFIQ Downside Cover Score · QCJA scores higherIf the market falls into a bear market from here, how much does the buffer absorb?

NFEB 45.9

QCJA 50.7

0.2, the lowest in this set99.8, the highest

A percentile among the 293 buffer ETFs with a live outcome period. It is a position in a set, not a rating, and neither end of it is a recommendation. All buffer ETFs ranked by it → How it is computed →

Both are already at their cap, so neither gains from more rise in the index before the period ends.

Where each one stands today

QCJA resets first, on Jan 15, 2027, 107 days from now; NFEB runs to Jan 31, 2027, 123 days. NFEB can still gain 4.1% before its cap, QCJA 2.8%. A fall from here reaches NFEB’s buffer after 9.6% and QCJA’s after 8.4%. Both track QQQ, so what separates them is where each is in its own period.

Every figure is ETFIQ’s own, from the issuer’s published outcome-period terms. A buffer ETF holds FLEX options on its reference index rather than shares, so there is no holdings overlap between two of them to report.

Performance, window by window

	Total return		Gap to the reference
Window	NFEB	QCJA	NFEB	QCJA
3 months	+3.3%	+2.9%	+1.1 pts	+0.8 pts
6 months	+13.3%	+10.6%	−13.6 pts	−16.3 pts
1 year	+14.8%	+11.9%	−8.9 pts	−11.9 pts

NFEB and QCJA over each window. Every figure is an ETFIQ calculation with distributions reinvested. Source: ETFIQ. Open the live comparison on ETFIQ →

On the same fields

NFEB

Innovator Growth-100 Power Buffer ETF - Feb · Absorbs the first 15% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 15.1%, over a period ending Jan 31, 2027

QCJA

FT Vest Nasdaq-100® Conservative Buffer ETF - January · Absorbs the first 20% of loss on QQQ and caps the gain at 12.1%, over a period ending Jan 15, 2027

Issuer Innovator First Trust

Reference index QQQ QQQ

Buffer 15% 20%

Outcome period Jan 31, 2026 to Jan 31, 2027 Jan 20, 2026 to Jan 15, 2027

Days left 123 107

Starting cap +15.1% +12.1%

Can still gain 4.1% 2.8%

Fall before buffer 9.6% 8.4%

Protection left, index points 15.0% of 15.0% 20.0% of 20.0%

Index return this period +19.0% +19.1%

Fund return this period +10.0% +8.2%

State today At cap At cap

Expense ratio 0.79% 0.90%

Net assets $84m $60m

NFEB and QCJA on the same fields, as of Oct 1, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.

NFEB in plain words

QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +15.1% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 4.1% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 9.6% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 15.9% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 15.0% of the 15.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 123 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Jan 31, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

QCJA in plain words

QQQ had already risen past this fund's cap of +12.1% for the period on Oct 1, 2026, so in index terms there is no more upside to collect. The fund's own price can still drift up to about 2.8% as the period runs out. The fund's price can fall 8.4% from here before the buffer starts absorbing losses, by the issuer's figure. In index terms, QQQ can fall 16.0% from today's level to the point where the buffer begins. Protection left, in index points: 20.0% of the 20.0% buffer still sits below today's QQQ level. 107 days remained on Oct 1, 2026. On Jan 15, 2027 the period ends and a new cap is set.

Questions people ask

Which has more room to gain, NFEB or QCJA?: From their prices on Oct 1, 2026, NFEB can gain about 4.1% before its cap and QCJA about 2.8%, so NFEB has more room left this period.
Which resets first, NFEB or QCJA?: NFEB ends its outcome period on Jan 31, 2027 and QCJA on Jan 15, 2027. A new cap is set the day after each.
Which is cheaper, NFEB or QCJA?: NFEB charges 0.79% a year and QCJA charges 0.90%, so NFEB is cheaper. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.

Other comparisons

QQQ →NFEB on its own →QCJA on its own →How every figure is computed →Standards and sources →

Where these figures came from

NFEB filings on SEC EDGAR ↗Innovator page for NFEB ↗QCJA filings on SEC EDGAR ↗First Trust page for QCJA ↗

ETFIQ links to the documents behind every figure. It is not affiliated with any issuer, and a link is not an endorsement. A comparison is not a recommendation.

Cite this page

ETFIQ, NFEB against QCJA, data as of Oct 1, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/buffer/nfeb-vs-qcja

Open data

Free to use with attribution. Every figure is calculated from a named public source; the method is at etfiq.com/methodology.